Health hazards to anticipate when you are expecting

Health hazard to anticipate is important when you are expecting your little ones. Pregnancy is one of the most magical, terrifying, life-changing, overwhelming processes your body and mind can possibly go through. Most notably though is the all-consuming, instinctive sense of protection you have over the tiny baby inside you. Health hazards to anticipate when you are expecting for protecting your baby during your pregnancy comes with the standard and inevitable list of don'ts! DON’T consume alcohol, DON’T overdo the caffeine, DON’T eats shellfish, soft cheese and runny eggs… …But had you considered the very air you breathe to be a potential source of harm to your little miracle during your pregnancy?

Secondhand smoke

A worrying statistic is that more than 80% of secondhand smoke is invisible and does not smell. Researchers at Duke University in North Carolina have warned that the inhalation has a significant chance of damaging your unborn baby's brain. This type of indirect exposure to a harmful and highly toxic mix of chemicals affect the important areas of your baby's brain responsible for learning, memory and even emotional responses. Professor Theodore Slotkin, of Duke’s department of pharmacology and cancer biology, states: “This finding has important implications for public health, because it reinforces the need to avoid secondhand smoke exposure not only during pregnancy, but also in the period prior to conception, or generally for women of childbearing age.” More worrying still is the suggested strong link between the inhalation of second-hand smoke and the increased risk of miscarriage. Upwards of 7,000 chemicals are present in secondhand smoke, carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide are to name but a few and at least 69 of these chemicals are known to cause cancers, concluding that there is no safe level of exposure to this dangerous smoke.

Household cleaning chemicals

Your nesting instinct may be kicking into overdrive the further along to anticipate when you are expecting and you may be eager to clean, clean, clean in preparation for your new arrival. Before you begin however, it is worth noting for worrying about the potential risks of the exposure to and inhalation of cleaning chemicals and subsequently their effect on the health of your growing baby. The most common piece of advice given is to only spray chemical cleaners whilst in a well ventilated space ensuring there is a supply of clean, fresh air circulating the room. This doesn't, however, prevent you from directly breathing in potentially harmful chemicals, especially aerosol cleaners which disperse into the air in a fine mist which you are much more likely to inhale. The question we must ask ourselves here is "are we positive that this is safe to breath in?" If we are unsure or there is little evidence to persuade us otherwise, it may be best to err on the side of caution. If you tend to go back to nature, HERE are 10 Plants to Detoxify your Home

Old paint

Desperate to decorate the nursery and strip the old wallpaper? Be sure firstly that no lead-based paint lies beneath. The U.S government banned lead-based paint in 1978. However, older homes still carry the potential risk of containing this hazardous paint beneath layers of wallpaper. When you chip a lead-based paint, the lead dust would be released into the air and inhaled by a human, passed into the bloodstream, went through the placenta and your unborn baby would absorb it. This can cause the risk of premature birth, low birth weight and developmental problems later in a baby’s life. Also read: "5 Products that Protect your Skin from Pollution"

Chemicals in makeup

• Phthalates. This chemical is added to perfume or nail polish to strengthen the effectiveness of other chemicals in the formula. Try to avoid ingredients such as dibutyl or benzyl butyl, DBP, BzBP, DEP, DMP or diethyl. Recent studies are concerning about the potential dangers they pose. Studies found high blood pressure, ADHD diabetes, prenatal phthalate and abnormal fetal development have been linked with their usage.

• Ammonia. This chemical is present in many home hair-dye kits. Although little is know about the effect this may have on your unborn baby during pregnancy it is safe to say that ammonia is an irritant of the skin and lungs, therefore, inhaling these chemicals that are in contact with your body directly for long periods of time when pregnant is best avoided.

• Formaldehyde. This chemical may present itself on labels as formaldehyde, imidazolidinyl urea, quaternium-15, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, dimethyl-dimethyl (DMDM), 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1, hydantoin or bromopol. Products specifically target at babies slowly eliminate these chemicals, as it is also well known as cancer-causing carcinogen. However, it still exists in adult beauty products such as eyelash glue, hair straightening treatments and nail polish.

• Dihydroxyacetone. This more commonly presents itself as the ingredient DHA and is most widely used in self-tanning lotion or sprays. This specific chemical reacts with the layer of dead skin on the surface of your body that adding colour. During the application process you may inhale this chemical, it goes cross the placenta and affects your baby.

• Toluene. This may present itself on labels as methylbenzene, toluol or antis 1a. This is an ingredient that found commonly in mainstream nail polish and is a suspected carcinogen. Try to avoid this material will form a toxic when blending with formaldehyde and phthalates at any time.
• Thioglycolic Acid. Another name for these chemicals is mercapto acetate, thiocyanic acid, acetyl mercaptan or mercaptoacetic acid. This is a common ingredient for hair removal creams. Recently, concerns have been raised regarding the amounts allowed this chemical to be used in beauty products. The European Union limits its usage to 5% of the total product whereas it is ‘acceptable’. This number change to be 15.2% of the total product when made and sold in the U.S.

To sum up, inhaling toxic chemicals must be limited to better safeguard your homegrown human.